1. Split Second takes place in New York City in an unspecified time period over the course of a few days in July. It most likely takes place in the 1980s, given that Val served in Vietnam and that there are references to the “Son of Sam” killings. The play discusses the lives of Val, his father, and his wife, and his coworkers following Val’s killing of a cuffed white car thief. Throughout the play, Val grapples with the fact that he shot an unarmed man out of anger and because of racial tensions and must decide whether he can live with his guilt or not.
2. The intrusion in Split Second would be the first time Val vocally admits that the person he shot was cuffed and unarmed. After this point, he becomes increasingly unsure of his actions and his guilt racks his consciousness throughout the rest of his interactions. It ultimately damaged his relationship with his father Rusty. I do not think that the shooting would be the intrusion only because Val does not seem to be mindful of it until he admits (to himself) that what he did wasn’t morally “right”.
3. This is the day that Val, a black police officer, shoots a white car thief on July 4th weekend, and must decide whether to keep up his lie of “fixing” the crime scene or reveal what actually happened.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
Will Val reveal that he planted evidence at the crime scene to make his actions look like self-defense?
Can Val live with himself if he does not come clean? Will his father ever talk to him again?
5. At the beginning of Split Second, Val wants to simply move beyond what he dealt with after he kills William H. Willis. Val tries to avoid the specifics that Parker asks him as his superior. This is a “me against another individual” because he simply wants him to stop questioning him. However, a majority of the obstacles that Val faces are within himself, they just simply take the form of “me against other individuals”. Val’s outward “conflicts” with his father and his wife ultimately represent his internal struggle with what he has done. He seeks validation from his wife, which he received wholeheartedly and she says that if “he can live with it”, she can do the same. However, his father rebukes him and criticized him for seeking validation and acceptance. The overall setting for Val’s obstacles includes the “me against society” also, because of the basis for Val’s killing. Willis was screaming racial epithets and saying that Val was essentially worthless because of his race. Val’s rage is based in societal issues of white superiority, so a major obstacle that he must overcome is putting himself in the context of societal race.
6. One of the most theatrical moments in Split Second are the conversations that revolve around Val’s service in Vietnam, notably his bench conversation with a drunken Charlie – who also served. Val talks to Charlie about whether he ever killed anyone in Vietnam and Charlie recalls the story of him murdering Vietnamese men, and trying to rationalize it by saying he was “over there” and it was life or death. However, it is clear that Charlie hasn’t moved past what every other person is telling him was the “right thing to do”. Charlie says that the first kill in war never leaves a man, and Val in turn admits that William H. Willis was the first man he had to kill – either in Vietnam or on police duty. Val is dealing with the opposite issue of Charlie, in that the people who he cares about the most (his father) are telling him that he must tell the truth and that what he did is wrong. Val’s wife, however, disagrees. Val’s dilemma falls into the shade of gray between the black and white truth, and represents the ambiguity of racial issues that plague America today.
Another theatrical moment would be Val using his childhood trauma to somewhat justify his current actions. As a child, Val was tied to a tree, beaten, and stripped by a group of white children and his father promised him that they would eventually reap what they sowed. As Val confronts his father on now preaching morality to him, his father tries to explain that this reaction was in a moment of immediate weakness. Val and Rusty essentially mirror the voices of the Civil Rights Movement, with one favoring working within the confines of the law and the other declaring that it is pathetic to work within a system that “never works for us”. Val’s ultimate choice to perpetuate his lie on the stand may end with his “freedom”, but ends in the death of his morality and character. His trial ends with a gunshot and fade to black as he says that he was “protecting himself”.
7. One of the images in the play would be the repetition of “William H. Willis” and the full name of the man who Val kills after he humiliates him and berates him with racial slurs. Even though he is only a “character” in the first scene, Willis’ name haunts Val and he only references him using his full name. Val could easily have itemized him as a “necessary casualty” or a “horrible white man who deserved to die”, but the use of Willis’ full name is one of the first instances where the audience can see that Val clearly is suffering internally over what he has done. Willis becomes symbolic of the ever-present white-black racial tension in New York, even in the 1980s and beyond Civil Rights legislation.
Another image that reoccurs in Split Second is the constant references to Willis’ “knife” and Val shooting him “straight through the heart”. The “knife” is constantly reimagined as Val discusses what happened with his superiors, his wife, and ultimately his father and it eventually disappears from the story. The “knife” is what Val’s entire rationalization and “case” depend on. Val aiming “at Willis’ heart is also a symbolic image, in that Val’s kill was not overkill or done in a rage (ie: overshooting or shooting at his face). The action was calculated and intentional, and ultimately mirrors what happens to Val in the end. His spirit and morality and heart are corrupted and ruined as he refuses to face the truth.
One final image in Split Second is the repeat imagery of Vietnam. I think that this adds to the play setting in multiple ways, partially because Vietnam is itself seen as morally ambiguous time in American foreign policy. Vietnam veterans are not “celebrated” like those from the World Wars and are often criticized for the roles they played, even though society put them there. Val’s repeat imagery of his service harkens to part of his rationalization – that society (and its systemic racism) has put him in this position and that he is somehow at “no fault” of his own.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes inSplit Second.
Race and Racial Violence
“Grey” Morality and negotiating “right” and “wrong”
PTSD and guilt
Generational differences in viewing race
Wartime violence and rationalization
Sacrificing personal survival at the cost of the truth
9. One of the largest differences in family opinions is evident between Val’s biological family (his father) and his “chosen family” (his wife). His wife says that she can live with what he has done and that they can move on, and she recognizes that it was only a matter of time before her husband was tired of being berated for his skin color and based on black stereotypes. Val’s wife “cannot live without him” and would rather him be guilty and be free than be in jail for telling the truth. Val’s father Rusty, on the other hand, essentially cannot live with his son’s decision and cannot face him if he chooses to maintain his lie (which he ultimately does). Split Second examines the generational differences when discussing race. Rusty considers his generation “lucky” in regards to how successful he was able to be despite his ethnicity and that he was lucky to work his way up in a world that was supposed to exclude him. Val and his wife, however, remind him of the horrible things that they continued to experience – including social isolation and Val’s attack. This difference of opinion and basis for Val’s rationalization ultimately breaks apart his relationship with his father, as he says he “isn’t sure” if he can look at his son after he chooses to maintain his lie.
1. Split Second takes place in New York City in an unspecified time period over the course of a few days in July. It most likely takes place in the 1980s, given that Val served in Vietnam and that there are references to the “Son of Sam” killings. The play discusses the lives of Val, his father, and his wife, and his coworkers following Val’s killing of a cuffed white car thief. Throughout the play, Val grapples with the fact that he shot an unarmed man out of anger and because of racial tensions and must decide whether he can live with his guilt or not.
2. The intrusion in Split Second would be the first time Val vocally admits that the person he shot was cuffed and unarmed. After this point, he becomes increasingly unsure of his actions and his guilt racks his consciousness throughout the rest of his interactions. It ultimately damaged his relationship with his father Rusty. I do not think that the shooting would be the intrusion only because Val does not seem to be mindful of it until he admits (to himself) that what he did wasn’t morally “right”.
3. This is the day that Val, a black police officer, shoots a white car thief on July 4th weekend, and must decide whether to keep up his lie of “fixing” the crime scene or reveal what actually happened.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
5. At the beginning of Split Second, Val wants to simply move beyond what he dealt with after he kills William H. Willis. Val tries to avoid the specifics that Parker asks him as his superior. This is a “me against another individual” because he simply wants him to stop questioning him. However, a majority of the obstacles that Val faces are within himself, they just simply take the form of “me against other individuals”. Val’s outward “conflicts” with his father and his wife ultimately represent his internal struggle with what he has done. He seeks validation from his wife, which he received wholeheartedly and she says that if “he can live with it”, she can do the same. However, his father rebukes him and criticized him for seeking validation and acceptance. The overall setting for Val’s obstacles includes the “me against society” also, because of the basis for Val’s killing. Willis was screaming racial epithets and saying that Val was essentially worthless because of his race. Val’s rage is based in societal issues of white superiority, so a major obstacle that he must overcome is putting himself in the context of societal race.
6. One of the most theatrical moments in Split Second are the conversations that revolve around Val’s service in Vietnam, notably his bench conversation with a drunken Charlie – who also served. Val talks to Charlie about whether he ever killed anyone in Vietnam and Charlie recalls the story of him murdering Vietnamese men, and trying to rationalize it by saying he was “over there” and it was life or death. However, it is clear that Charlie hasn’t moved past what every other person is telling him was the “right thing to do”. Charlie says that the first kill in war never leaves a man, and Val in turn admits that William H. Willis was the first man he had to kill – either in Vietnam or on police duty. Val is dealing with the opposite issue of Charlie, in that the people who he cares about the most (his father) are telling him that he must tell the truth and that what he did is wrong. Val’s wife, however, disagrees. Val’s dilemma falls into the shade of gray between the black and white truth, and represents the ambiguity of racial issues that plague America today.
Another theatrical moment would be Val using his childhood trauma to somewhat justify his current actions. As a child, Val was tied to a tree, beaten, and stripped by a group of white children and his father promised him that they would eventually reap what they sowed. As Val confronts his father on now preaching morality to him, his father tries to explain that this reaction was in a moment of immediate weakness. Val and Rusty essentially mirror the voices of the Civil Rights Movement, with one favoring working within the confines of the law and the other declaring that it is pathetic to work within a system that “never works for us”. Val’s ultimate choice to perpetuate his lie on the stand may end with his “freedom”, but ends in the death of his morality and character. His trial ends with a gunshot and fade to black as he says that he was “protecting himself”.
7. One of the images in the play would be the repetition of “William H. Willis” and the full name of the man who Val kills after he humiliates him and berates him with racial slurs. Even though he is only a “character” in the first scene, Willis’ name haunts Val and he only references him using his full name. Val could easily have itemized him as a “necessary casualty” or a “horrible white man who deserved to die”, but the use of Willis’ full name is one of the first instances where the audience can see that Val clearly is suffering internally over what he has done. Willis becomes symbolic of the ever-present white-black racial tension in New York, even in the 1980s and beyond Civil Rights legislation.
Another image that reoccurs in Split Second is the constant references to Willis’ “knife” and Val shooting him “straight through the heart”. The “knife” is constantly reimagined as Val discusses what happened with his superiors, his wife, and ultimately his father and it eventually disappears from the story. The “knife” is what Val’s entire rationalization and “case” depend on. Val aiming “at Willis’ heart is also a symbolic image, in that Val’s kill was not overkill or done in a rage (ie: overshooting or shooting at his face). The action was calculated and intentional, and ultimately mirrors what happens to Val in the end. His spirit and morality and heart are corrupted and ruined as he refuses to face the truth.
One final image in Split Second is the repeat imagery of Vietnam. I think that this adds to the play setting in multiple ways, partially because Vietnam is itself seen as morally ambiguous time in American foreign policy. Vietnam veterans are not “celebrated” like those from the World Wars and are often criticized for the roles they played, even though society put them there. Val’s repeat imagery of his service harkens to part of his rationalization – that society (and its systemic racism) has put him in this position and that he is somehow at “no fault” of his own.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Split Second.
9. One of the largest differences in family opinions is evident between Val’s biological family (his father) and his “chosen family” (his wife). His wife says that she can live with what he has done and that they can move on, and she recognizes that it was only a matter of time before her husband was tired of being berated for his skin color and based on black stereotypes. Val’s wife “cannot live without him” and would rather him be guilty and be free than be in jail for telling the truth. Val’s father Rusty, on the other hand, essentially cannot live with his son’s decision and cannot face him if he chooses to maintain his lie (which he ultimately does). Split Second examines the generational differences when discussing race. Rusty considers his generation “lucky” in regards to how successful he was able to be despite his ethnicity and that he was lucky to work his way up in a world that was supposed to exclude him. Val and his wife, however, remind him of the horrible things that they continued to experience – including social isolation and Val’s attack. This difference of opinion and basis for Val’s rationalization ultimately breaks apart his relationship with his father, as he says he “isn’t sure” if he can look at his son after he chooses to maintain his lie.